Wednesday, October 26, 2011

More Research Showing Nat Gas Cleaner Than Coal

Following up on this recent CD post about how the media has been giving much greater coverage to a Cornell University research report that found the environmental impact of natural gas to be more harmful than coal, and much less coverage to a report from Carnegie-Mellon University that came to the opposite conclusion:

WASHINGTON – "Six months removed from the release of the paper from researcher-activists at Cornell attempting to argue that the production and consumption of coal was better for the environment than natural gas from shale, new data and research rebutting and correcting those unsubstantiated claims continues to roll in. The latest shoe to drop? A detailed analysis from researchers at the University of Maryland that takes a closer look at the GHG profile of natural gas derived from shale when used in the electricity sector."

Natural gas in the atmosphere is a much stronger greenhouse gas, but burning natural gas releases less greenhouse gas for equivalent energy. The question, then, is how much fugitive gas is released during the manufacture of natural gas. The previous study assumed a high rate of natural gas emissions during extraction. If the process is carefully controlled, then natural gas should be friendlier to the climate.

MP: In other words, the researchers at Maryland found that the greenhouse gas impacts of coal are almost twice the impacts of natural gas for electricity generation..

Once again you look only at the surface and fail to account for the actual reality. The researchers assume that the EURs and depletion estimates are correct and go from there. But if those estimates are not correct and the life of wells is in line with the production data shale gas may turn out to be much worse because it is not economic.

larry the chump says: "Juandos your ignorance is astounding and regrettable" yet as usual brings nothing 'factual or credible' to substantiate his comments...

From the larrylink: Despite mining company and government efforts to restore ecosystems, surface-mined areas suffer damages that are effectively permanent, said Dr. Keith Eshleman, a professor at the University of Maryland.

The scientists were in town for a weeklong conference of the Ecological Society of America. The research they presented Tuesday was some of the first that provided ecological data on mountaintop mining, Dr. Eshleman said...

@Jaundos, dude you really need to ignore him. Larry sits around in front of his computer in his moms basement in his Star Wars pajamas waiting for people to take bis weak a$$ bait. All he really wants is affirmation of his sef-indulgant mindset that he's got himself a really big brain. Prolly got that way after twelve plus years of garbage can dunkings, and financing the lunches of jocks.